Heel structure for full fashioned hosiery and method of forming same



W- 5 F. v. HQFFECMEW HEEL STRUCTURE FOP. FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME I5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March l5, 1.954

1N VEN TORu WMWW M MW WAEHWMW F. V. l-iOFFECKER HEEL STRUCTURE FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed March 15, 195-4 5 Sheeis-Shet 2 INVENTOR.

FRANK V. HOFFECMER ATTORNEVJ 195% F. v. HOFFECKEW HEEL STRUCTURE FOR FULL FASHIONED HOSIERY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed March 15, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO'R. FRANK b. NG'FFECKER United States Patent HEEL STRUCTURE FOR FULL FASHIONED EIOSEERY AND METHOD OF FORMING oA Frank V. Hoffecker, Charlotte, N. C., assignor to Chadhourn Gotham, Inc, a corporation of North Carolina Application March 15, 1954, Serial No. 416,177 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-182) This invention relates in general to full fashioned hosiery, and more particularly to an improved heel structure by which a heel having a substantially smooth inside selvage can be obtained while fashioning the foot portion of the hosiery uniquely, and to the method of forming this improved heel structure.

Because of styling demands, a large part of the production of full fashioned hosiery incorporates a heel structure in which the inside selvage is maintained smooth or straight; that is, the inside selvage is formed at a single continuous wale. A heel structure of this sort is sometimes referred to as a French heel, and is desirable because of the trim appearance provided by the smooth inside selvage.

Styling demands have also made it necessary to employ a relatively narrow high splice in a heel of this sort, which has meant that the sole reinforcement had to be narrowed from the heel pocket to the same width as the high splice, so as to avoid increasing the wales at the instep over the number in the ankle where the heel structure was started. The result has been to restrict the sole reinforcement to a much narrower width than was desirable when a heel of this sort was employed, because increasing the wales in the instep fabric would cause this fabric to be loose in the finished hosiery and consequently to wrinkle when worn.

According to the present invention, a heel structure is provided in which a single continuous wale is maintained at the inside selvage, while at the same time allowing a sole reinforcement of adequate width and properly fashioned instep fabric to be formed. Briefly described, the improved heel structure of the present invention is characterized by narrowings located at the inside heel selvage at which wales of the sheer instep fabric terminate, so as to fashion the instep fabric in relation to a wider sole reinforcement. The narrowings at the inside heel selvage, while visible upon close inspection, are not apparent in the finished hosiery unless looked for, and do not disturb the pleasing appearance provided by the single continuous wale at the inside selvage in a heel of this sort.

The present invention is described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of a stocking incorporating the improved heel structure of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary schematic plan view of the blank for the stocking shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a loop diagram of the fabric portion within the broken line rectangle in Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Fig. l illustrates a full fashioned stocking as indicated generally by the reference numeral in which a heel section is provided at 12 formed of heavy fabric in relation to the main sheer fabric of the stocking 10.

Fig. 2 shows schematically the arrangement of the blank for the stocking 10 at which the heel section 12 is formed, and in which the arrangement of identical component heel sections 12 inwardly from the blank edges at each side of the sheer instep fabric 14% is represented as is usual in full fashioned hosiery blanks.

The heel sections 12 are introduced in the usual manher at the ankle portion of the stocking 10, beginning with the course A-A, in the width desired for the high splice of the heel, and this width is maintained to the course B-B to form the high splice. Beyond the course B-B, widening is commenced and continued to the course CC in order to prepare for turning the heel pocket. At course C-C the number of additional wales necessary for the heel pocket have been added, and the number of wales in the heel sections 12 then remains constant to the course E-E as the heel pocket is formed.

However, when the course DD is reached during formation of this heel pocket portion, narrowings are commenced according to the present invention at the inside selvages of the heel sections 12, these narrowings being indicated at a, b, c, d, e and f, and. being formed by termination of adjacent wales of the sheer instep fabric 14 thereat, with the wales at the inside selvages of the heel sections 12 remaining continuous. These inside selvage narrowings a, b, c, d, e and fare completed at the course E-E, and the heel sections .12 are then narrowed to the course FF to return the blank to a proper instep width while leaving an adequate sole reinforcement to follow the course F-F.

The structure of the knitted fabric adjacent the inside selvage narrowings a, b, c, d, e and f is illustrated in detail by the loop diagram in Fig. 3, which represents the knitted structure within the broken line rectangle in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, each narrowing a, b, c, d, e, and f is obtained by transferring loops of the heavy fabric heel sections 12 coursewise to overlap adjacent loops of the sheer instep fabric 14 at the inside heel selvages.

In the fabric structure represented in Fig. 3, two loops of each heavy fabric heel section 12 are transferred to overlap two adjacent loops of the sheer instep fabric 14 at each narrowing, and six narrowings a, b, c, d, e and f are spaced five courses apart. This particular arrangement of the fabric structure has been found to provide an exceptionally satisfactory fashioning balance in the finished hosiery, allowing the total needles from the ankle to the sole (i. e., from the course A--A to the course F-F) to be reduced from 304 to 288 while allowing a net increase of needles in the heel sections 12 from 28 for starting the high splice at course AA to 32 at course F--F for the sole reinforcement.

It should be understood, however, that the fabric structure illustrated is only representative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and that the narrowings a, [2, c, d, e and f may be otherwise arranged and used in different numbers to obtain the advantages of the present invention so long as they are maintained at the inside selvage of the heel sections 12 and formed so that wales of the sheer instep fabric 14 terminate thereat. Also, it should be noted that in Fig. 1 the ap* pearance of the narrowings a, b, c, d, e and f is exaggerated for the purpose of illustrating generally their location and arrangement, and that actually these narrowings do not appreciably disturb the smooth curve formed by the insid selvages of the heel sections 12 in the finished stocking 10, but simply provide distinctive narrowing marks at the inside selvages that can be identified if looked for.

The inside heel selvage narrowings a, b, c, d, e and f are formed according to the present invention generally in the same manner conventionally employed for narrowing knit fabric, and they may be formed on standard full fashion knitting machines. For example, in forming the narrowings a the method followed is to pick up from the needles, after the course DD has been completed, all of the loops of the heavy fabric heel sections 12, shift these loops inwardly of the stocking blank the number of needles selected for the narrowing (e. g., 2 needles at each inside heel selvage, as illustrated in Fig. 3), and then place the shifted loops back on the needles at which they are then located. This may be done with the conventional loop transfer mechanism provided on full fashion machines for narrowing, and the result is to overlap loops at the inside selvages of the heel section 12 on adjacent loops of the instep fabric 14 and thereby reduce the width of the stocking blank.

At the same time (i. e., before the next course is knitted), the carrier stops are moved inwardly to reduce the travel of the carrier for the sheer instep fabric 14 by the number of needles narrowed, and to shift (without changing) the travel of the carriers for the heavy fabric heel sections 12 inwardly by the same number of needles. The width of the heel sections 12 accordingly remains the same, while the narrowing is done from the sheer instep fabric 14 by termination of wales of the instep fabric 14 at the narrowings a, and the same steps are employed in forming succeeding narrowings, such as b, c, d, e and 1, to fashion the instep fabric 14 in relation to the heel sections 12 so that a desired heel section width may be left at the course FF for sole reinforcement independently of the high splice starting width at the course A-A.

This fashioning of the instep fabric 14 also has the advantageous effect of tending to pull or turn the heel section 12 toward the foot portion of the stocking so as to provide better positioning of the foot portion, in addition to allowing control of the sheer instep fabric 14 against looseness.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In full fashioned hosiery having a heel section of fabric that is heavy in relation to the main sheer fabric thereof, the improvement which comprises an inside selvage for said heel section formed at a continuous wale, and at least one narrowing located at the inside selvage of said heel section and at which narrowing at least one wale of said main sheer fabric terminates.

2. In a full fashioned hosiery blank having identical, component, heel sections of heavy fabric formed inwardly from the blank edges at each side of the sheer instep fabric, the improvement which comprises inside selvages for said component heel sections formed at continuous wales, and at least one narrowing located at the inside selvage of each of said component heel sections, said narrowings being formed by terminating wales of said sheer instep fabric thereat.

3. Full fashioned hosiery having the fabric structure thereof formed by knit loops arranged in wales and courses with a heavy fabric heel section adjacent sheer instep fabric, and with a plurality of narrowings formed at the inside selvage of said heel section by overlapping loops of said sheer instep fabric coursewise with adjacent loops of said heavy fabric heel section.

4. Full fashioned hosiery having the fabric structure thereof formed by knit loops arranged in wales and courses and comprising a foot portion in which identical, component, heel sections of heavy fabric extend from a back seam to inside selvages at each side of sheer instep fabric, the inside selvages of said heel sections being formed at continuous wales of said heavy fabric, and wales of said sheer instep fabric being terminated by narrowings at said inside selvages, said narrowings being formed by overlapping loops of said sheer instep fabric coursewise with adjacent loops of said heavy fabric heel sections.

5. A full fashioned hosiery blank having a fabric structure formed by knit loops arranged in wales and courses, said blank comprising main sheer fabric in which identical, component, heel sections of heavy fabric are introduced at each side of the instep portion of said sheer fabric, said heel sections being widened to form a heel pocket and subsequently narrowed to sole reinforcement width and having inside selvages adjacent said sheer fabric that are formed at continuous wales of said heavy fabric, and in which sheer fabric wales of said instep portion are terminated by narrowings at said inside selvages, said narrowings being located in courses of the fully widened heel pocket portion of said heel sections and each narrowing being formed by overlapping loops of said sheer fabric coursewise with adjacent loops of said heavy fabric heel sections, whereby said sheer fabric is fashioned at the instep portion thereof to allow selection of the sole reinforcement width of said heel sections independently of the Width at which said heel sections are introduced in said main sheer fabric while maintaining said inside selvage wales continuous.

6. The method of forming a heavy fabric heel section in the main sheer fabric of full fashioned hosiery having a fabric structure of knit loops arranged in wales and courses, said method comprising the steps of maintaining the inside selvage of said heel section at a continuous wale of said heavy fabric, and terminating wales of said main sheer fabric by narrowings at said inside selvage formed by transferring loops of said heavy fabric heel section coursewise to overlap adjacent loops of said sheer fabric.

7. The method of knitting a full fashioned hosiery blank which compirses forming a main sheer fabric by knit loops arranged in wales and courses, introducing a heavy fabric heel section at a restricted number of wales from each edge of the blank to leave an intermediate sheer instep portion, maintaining the inside selvages of said heel sections at continuous wales while widening and subsequently narrowing said heel sections in forming a heel pocket, and terminating wales of said sheer fabric at said inside selvages, while said heel sections are fully widened, by narrowings formed by transferring loops of said heavy fabric heel sections coursewise to overlap adjacent loops of said sheer fabric.

8. The method of knitting a heel section in full fashioned hosiery which comprises introducing said heel section in a desired high splice width at a restricted number of main fabric wales, Widening and then narrowing said heel section for forming a heel pocket and a sole reinforcement extending therefrom, and terminating wales of the main fabric at the inside selvage of said heel section between said widening and narrowing by transferring loops of said heel section coursewise to overlap adjacent loops of said main fabric and thereby fashioning the instep portion of said main fabric to allow selection of the sole reinforcement width of said heel section independently of the width at which said heel section is introduced while maintaining a continuous wale at the inside selvage of said heel section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

